Source: The Herald – Breaking news.
Dr Jenfan Muswere 
Precious Manomano, Herald Reporter
Joint efforts by the Government and private sector to ensure that Zimbabweans had enough food despite the crippling El Nino-induced drought last year, have been a major success with neither food shortages seen nor any market rigging.
When it became obvious early last year that the maize harvest would be well below what was needed after the rains failed, the Government moved swiftly to ensure that there would be adequate supplies for its own major food relief programme and that there would be enough mealie-meal for all urban and commercial requirements.
The maize reserves held by the Grain Marketing Board (GMB)from previous good seasons, plus the modest commercial deliveries expected last year, were committed to the Government programmes.
The private sector, the millers, were told they would have to import all their requirements until this year’s harvest was being delivered to the GMB.
So, between April last year and February 2 this year, the private sector has imported 1 349 877 tonnes of grain, including 1 127 411 tonnes of maize, 220 092 tonnes of wheat and 374 tonnes of wheat flour, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere announced after last Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting.
And there are still adequate stocks of maize with the GMB, he said, to supply the ongoing Government programmes for rural families that will continue until the new harvest starts being reaped in April, a harvest that is expected to be good considering the good, if late, rains that Zimbabwe is now enjoying.
The major Government programme ensured that all rural families who were going to be short of food had regular rations of grain, and the urban vulnerable received modest payments that allowed them to buy mealie-meal.
While the private sector was responsible for the imports, the Government did not ration licences and was actively monitoring the import volumes, stock levels at mills and market prices to prevent any potential arbitrage opportunities that could arise from sudden price fluctuations. These did not happen.
The goal was to maintain a steady supply of grain, preventing any shortages. While almost all mealie meal in Zimbabwe for some months has come from imported grain, there are no shortages in the shops and all brands are available for sale in the competitive market as the private millers did their share of the joint programme.
Major efforts were made before the present season to make sure all farmers had adequate inputs in light of the forecast reasonable rains so summer harvests could be boosted from 744 000 tonnes in the previous season to an ambitious target of 3,2 million tonnes this year.
Preliminary data indicates that about 99 percent of the targeted maize area has been planted, raising hopes for a bountiful harvest.
In a recent interview, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri underscored the importance of collaboration between the Government and private sector in tackling food insecurity.
“Impactful partnerships are critical in boosting food security in our country. The involvement of private players has been instrumental in complementing Government efforts to avert hunger,” he said.
Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe national chairperson, Mr Tafadzwa Musarara said that imports had to be done carefully to ensure that there was enough food. Banks have been careful in loans for imports to ensure that supplies were adequate without the risk of oversupply through imports.
Harsh trading terms from source markets in South Africa made importing more complex.
Despite the hurdles, Mr Musarara remains optimistic about the private sector’s ability to support Government efforts in combating hunger.
“We are ready to continue supporting the Government to end hunger among our citizens,” he said.
In response to the ongoing food challenges, the Government has implemented several strategies aimed at mitigating hunger and improving food security.
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